Luke 10:38-42
"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Today's blog is about the busyness of our lives. Shared above are the verses on how the bible directs us in one story about our choice of priorities. Mary and Martha, who are sisters, open their home to Jesus as he travels with his disciples. As Martha hurries to ensure the preparations, Mary simply sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to the wisdom of Christ. Now, it wasn't wrong of Martha to serve and make sure Jesus and his disciples were invited in, taken care of with food and other arrangements in their home. But, Mary knew the value of time with Jesus and took advantage of the opportunity to be with Him, learn and gain wisdom, and make him her first priority.
Mary and Martha represent two kinds of people in our world today:[worshipinspiritandtruth.net]
MARY represents those who have a true Christian faith. Those who give their full attention to Christ Jesus and are not distracted by worldly things. This group of people, represented by Mary, study God's Word every day and listen to His Word. But they are not hearers of the Word only, they are doers also. This group of Christians represented by Mary are spiritually sat at Jesus' feet, worshipping God in spirit and truth. They come to their knees everyday to pray to their God and Saviour. They give more of their time to Jesus than anything else in their lives, and they long to be with their Lord and Saviour. Now do these Christians represented by Mary do works? Yes, because a true and right relationship with Christ Jesus will automatically PRODUCE good works in that person. As James said, "you show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works." This group of Christians represented by Mary knows the true meaning of putting God first in their lives, and they love the Lord with ALL their heart, ALL their mind, ALL their soul and ALL their strength. They have truly taken hold of the Kingdom of Heaven.
MARTHA represents those professing Christians who "believe" in Jesus, but are too caught up in worldly things to give their time in building a personal relationship with Him. Sure, they serve in their church, but don't realize that their serving will get them nowhere without a proper relationship with their Lord. The group of professing Christians represented by Martha are those who are busy with the world. They are too caught up in their jobs/careers. They are too concerned with their houses and cars and money. They are focused on building up treasure on earth, rather than treasure in heaven. They spend more time watching TV than they do with Jesus. They read more novels than they do the life giving Word of God. They spend little time in prayer, and they put their family and friends before Jesus. These professing Christians maybe think that their "belief" alone will save them. Well, the devils also believe (James 2:19). Are they saved?
"We are overworked, overstressed, and spiritually undernourished. Our culture promotes “bigger and better” and subtly challenges us to keep up. Whew! Who made these rules anyway? Satan loves to keep us running in circles trying to beat the clock. If he can distract us, he can minimize our usefulness for the Kingdom of God. Satan may be the Prince of Darkness, but he is also the Duke of Distraction. As Christians, we cannot allow ourselves to be swept away in the undercurrent of the cultural stopwatch. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” [gotquestions.org]
"We must be intentional about making time to rest in Jesus. The Bible places high value on rest and peaceful living. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He Himself escaped the busyness of the crowds occasionally to renew His strength. Mark 6:31 says, “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to [His disciples], ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’" [gotquestions.org]
As for myself, I have learned and seen the benefits in my own life of being intentional with my time, energy and ability. As it said in the movie, "The Upside", "There's not much left in my life that I have control over, except for who and when I spend my time with." I completely relate to that. Jesus, family, and friends are my choices and priorities, in that order.
Takeaways:
Martha had a heart for serving, but she lost sight of the reason for serving amid the task at hand.
We can get so caught up in the busyness of life that we neglect to spend time at Jesus’ feet.
Instead of berating Martha, He gently and lovingly points out her error. He knew Martha loved Him and despite her wrong attitude, gave her a lot of grace.
Let's serve with a heart like Martha, but have our priorities straight like Mary.